


The No Man Rule

by notobsessedjustobservant



Category: Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: I’m kind of back, Multi, No new timmyzlda tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 16:36:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,022
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14937966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notobsessedjustobservant/pseuds/notobsessedjustobservant
Summary: So, over the course of her years spanning from the tender age of seven to the uncomfortable preteens and to now, sixteen, MJ realized that she must never let herself get distracted by the delusion of love.





	The No Man Rule

**Author's Note:**

  * For [My role model forever and my truest friend](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=My+role+model+forever+and+my+truest+friend).



> Guess who’s back (but not with an update for Curse, Ryd, or Crush Me)?

MJ bans men from her life at the tender age of 7. She lets one back in at 16. 

That began the chain of events she has to deal with now. It opened the men version of Pandora’s box. Turns out, that one man came as a package.

The first man she ever knew broke her heart. 

And, like the statistics said, she was bound to get her heart broken again. Numerous times.

Thanks a lot, daddy-o.

She has a lot to thank to her father, she’ll admit that. He kept her family warm, protected, and safe. All the necessities, he did. 

The only necessity he couldn’t do was stay. He was always gone, business this and business that. It didn’t take long for him to be gone for too long and to just stay there. It happened cumulatively. So cumulatively that she almost didn’t notice it.

It would be the small things. He would say he’d be gone for two weeks. Cool.

He’d come back a month later. 

Now, two week addition shouldn’t be that terrible, but it was when that represented essentially the whole year. 

Soon, her parents spark dimmed till it blew out. They no longer seemed excited to see each other. It seemed like they forced themselves to look happy together in front of MJ. 

She hated it.

She hated it all.

She hated catching her dad cheat.

It wasn’t like he caught him in the full act, thank God. She just caught him sending flowers to this girl named Clarice.

She soon became her step- mom.

The awful part wasn’t that she saw how much their love dimmed; it was seeing her mother so broken. She only allowed herself to appear broken for a day, for MJ’s sake she knows.

That sadness in her mother’s heart, the one that caused MJ’s seven year old heart to turn just a shade bitter, didn’t remain for long. 

She can’t quite remember when, but her mother became fine.

She went on dates, after MJ urged her to go on dates during seventh grade, and she kept herself in shape. Yoga and meditation helped.

MJ thought her mother was a tough lawyer before, but then she turned especially ruthless, merciless.

She was at the height of her career, happy with her only child, and with no need of a man.

MJ’s idol.

Seeing her mother’s contentment with just her and MJ, seeing how her mother was able to coparent with her father and remain Facebook friends with him, and seeing how she was no longer doing just “alright” like she was post breakup, but rather “thriving” (as it says on her Facebook bio), she understood what she had to do.

She was to never let boys in, or perhaps never let love in. Both seemed like useless distractions and, if she wanted a distraction, she had her books.

So, over the course of her years spanning from the tender age of seven to the uncomfortable preteens and to now, sixteen, she realized that she must never let herself get distracted by the delusion of love. 

It just wasn’t worth it. And, no delusion was worth that heart break. No _one_ was worth the heart break.

  


She doesn’t know when it starts, but she knows she wishes it didn’t. 

She doesn’t understand how Peter could have gotten under her skin and into her, bleh, heart. 

Worst of all, he doesn’t even _know_ the effect he has on her. Just Legos this and Stark Internship that. Literally no hint at all of a single remorse for snatching her heart.

But, he wasn’t the one to get her to open up to males again. It was actually Ned.

Ned, sweet and caring and funny Ned.

Ned cared about MJ.

When they first met, they hated each other. They were polar opposites. They _are_ polar opposites. She was always on the offensive, he was always on the defensive. She didn’t want friends, he loved getting friends. She loved English, he thought biology was more entertaining. She played the piano, he played the ukulele. 

Polar opposites.

However, things slowly changed. When she would make a joke, even though it sounded bitter and brutal, he laughed and that made her feel better (though she never showed that). If Flash was giving Ned a hard time, MJ was ready to pepper spray him with blinding insults. When his fish “died”, she became the fish whisperer and talked to him on the phone on how to revive said fish. The fish lived for one day more thanks to MJ’s superior, life-altering concoction. 

Their friendship came slowly and surely. As soft as Ned’s Star Wars blanket and as slow and sure as MJ’s hands when she made _just_ the right stroke on a drawing of Ned napping in class.

They didn’t become besties. No, that would be weird. They just became good friends. No, Ned didn’t invite her to his and Peter’s Lego nights. No, MJ never invited Ned to go to a protest with her. They went without the other’s permission or request. It was MJ’s and Ned’s trademark in their friendship. 

Like doomsday, Peter entering her life was basically assured. She just didn’t know when. He was always in the background. She noticed him, yeah, but then again she notices everyone.

It was during their Nationals Acadec competition at Washington when things changed.

MJ was telling him, after she called him while he was up in his suite, on how fishy Peter looked leaving the hotel, when Ned said, “Hey, we’re friends, right?”.

She was startled to say the least. It was silent for a minute.

Ned started to apologize. “I’m sorry. I-.”

“Okay. And?”. She could already tell Ned is smiling through the phone. She felt itchy. It was uncomfortable but relieving to hear Ned seem happy in her not shoving no, but also not technically saying yes.

“Since we’re friends, can you go easier on Peter? He’s been my best friend since forever and I’d like it if you guys actually got along.”

“Hey! We do. He’s just, you know, a dweeb. I can’t control myself when it comes to dweebs like him. And, you know how I joke.”

He sighs exasperatedly. “Michelle.”

“Yes, NErD?”.

“Please? For me?”.

She sighs and contemplates. What would she lose from being nicer to Peter? Nothing. “Okay, okay, jeez. I’ll try okay. But, don’t feel special or get your panties in a twist, Leeds.” She can heat him laugh through the phone. She’d let him think he was special. After all, being her friend was. “Whatever, I have to finish this book. Bye, Leeds.”

“Bye, Michelle.”

And, to clarify, MJ doesn’t like Peter. He’s too nice, like, suspiciously too nice. He clearly was a gym fanatic since he buffed up over a course of a week. He liked sciences, like chemistry, ew. He was okay with the concept of participation ribbons. He was just too opposite. 

Being nice to him would be easy though. 

It wasn’t. 

Ned and MJ get into an argument on why MJ couldn’t have tried harder to be nice to Peter, especially since he was going through “a lot” and “Stark internship is really stressing him out” or something like that. She didn’t mean to be mean. She didn’t know drawing a sad Peter in detention and showing it to him would make him more sad. 

MJ and Ned don’t talk for a bit.

When she’s given the title of captain, she let’s everyone call her MJ. She follows Dwight’s, from The Office, advice and makes her coworkers her friends.

Ned asks, “I thought you had no friends?”. If one looked close enough, he meant that to sting. 

She shrugs in an MJ way that Ned knows. He shrugs back and they smile. They’re back to being okay.

  


When the anniversary of her parents divorce came around, MJ was bitter. Like, really bitter. 

She cuts off Ned. She wants to say she cuts off more people but Ned was really the only one she talks to. She doesn’t respond to his messages the whole week. She doesn’t respond to Peter’s meme of the week. It makes her laugh, though.

Flash was making it an even rougher day. He made a joke, something stupid, sexist, and Flash-like. That’s when MJ drily says, “I hate men. All they do is disappoint me.”

Flash exclaims, “Excuse you, that’s _extremely_ sexist.” MJ rolls her eyes and shuffled the cards. She opens her mouth to give a half-ass sarcastic apology when Flash says, “No need to hurt my feelings just because your dad hurt your’s and your mom’s. Deal with you daddy issues somewhere else.”

It gets silent. She can feel everyone staring at her, even Mr. Harrison.

MJ takes five deep breaths before she carefully gets off the podium and tells Ned to take her place while she takes a Captain only privilege- personal time.

Then she cries. When she’s out the door, she allows herself to sob.

Surprisingly, when she was sad or mad or feeling any major emotion, she liked being with other people. She liked having someone there. Not really a MJ-like quality that she's especially proud of, but it was what it was.

She hears his foot steps before she can process what to say.

“Uh, um.” Peter scratches the back of his neck as he crouched down in front of MJ. They’re in the empty hallways and MJ’s back hurts because she’s sitting with her back to the lockers. 

“I just want to say that I agree. I-I mean I agree with what _you_ said.” He looked so sure and so pure that it made her laugh. As in laugh louder and more than she had in a long, long time. He smiles.

“And, why is that?” she asks although she doesn’t _really_ care for his response. She just wanted a distraction and his voice is kind of nice.

“My aunt, Aunt May, she went on a date last night. She had been crushing on this guy and going to the gym to see him more. She goes to the date and the guy comes late. She hates late people.” 

He takes a breath and she uses the moment to laugh and say, “That makes two of us.”

“You would like my aunt. You guys are similar, but I just don’t know how.”

MJ’s surprised by his sincerity and honesty, so she responds in the only way she knows. “Go on,” she deadpans.

“He’s late and she could tell he left his place in a rush. So much in a rush that he left his wedding ring on.” MJ gasps then laughs. 

“I’m sorry I laughed. I know it’s inappropriate but I-“ and she continues to laugh.

“No, it’s okay. At first I wanted to hunt the guy, but I saw how my Aunt was laughing about it so it’s fine to laugh about it.”

“Damn. I’m already liking her.”

“Yeah, she’s cool. I’ll make you guys meet one day.”

“You better, dweeb.” Peter laughs, that one where it’s airy and he looks up. A full and true laugh. 

It makes MJ feel something she doesn’t know what to call. Butterflies? 

“What Flash said wasn’t cool. If he’s going to rip you one for being sexist, maybe he shouldn’t have asked Cindy to make him a sandwich and bake him a pie.”

MJ nods. The only acceptable response she knew how to give for that statement. “And, I know this is not my place, but what your dad did wasn’t cool either. Men really ain’t shit, huh?”.

It makes MJ laugh harder so that her dry tears are replaced with new, happy ones.

“You’re funny, Parker.”

“Do you not see the memes I send you each week?”.

“Well, some of them are lame.” 

He laughs and stands up. He reaches out a hand to her. 

_To take or not to take the hand?_

She takes it.

They walk back to practice a few minutes and meme showing later and, when Mr. Harrison isn’t looking, give Flash the bird and then each other a high-five. 

And just like that, a friendship was born.

  


Being friends with the two became a part of daily life. 

It was weird having to get used to hanging out with boys. She could burp and be as messy as she wanted to be without getting reprimanded by her mother. Not to mention, boy’s deodorant, or whatever deodorant they were buying, smelled better and stronger than the one she wore so it always smelled nice wherever she went with them. It was like a culture shock, but pleasanter than she ever expected. 

Slowly, but surely, she started sitting a bit closer to them during lunch. She’d walk the dweebs to chemistry after lunch and, when school ended, they would all walk together to the bodega for a treat before Acadec practice. Sometimes, when either or both of the dweebs were able to wake up early, they would walk with MJ to school. 

MJ officially invited them to a protest and they officially invited her to their Lego building afternoons. They would come with her to her favorite park where she occasionally read her books with the wind and birds as background music. 

She went with Ned and Peter to Starks so that his boss could meet the infamous MJ he heard Peter babble about on the phone. Ned looked shocked and hurt (“Dude. So not cool. You talked about _her_ and not _me_? Really not cool. The bro-code!), Mr. Stark looked intrigued, Peter turned into the same red shade as a fire hydrant, and MJ raised a brow. A truly delightful experience for all.

She got to meet Aunt May after she gave Peter and her a ride to a protest. She was sweet and _way_ too cool to be Peter's aunt. She made Peter invite MJ over whenever he had the chance and May loved having MJ over. She was relieved and happy for an equal amount of girls in the apartment for once.

It was like they were meant to be friends. It made her forget her No Man rule. Maybe she could let in boys. Maybe she could let them in as friends.

  


Her mom always told her Wednesday’s were the best days. Her mother got her first kiss on a Wednesday. Her mother learned she was going to be MJ’s mom on a Wednesday. Her mother won a hard and never ending dispute that gave her a good sum for MJ’s college fund on a Wednesday.

On a Wednesday night, Peter Parker asks out Michelle Jones via text.

Her mom also said there was a stark difference between Wednesday’s and Thursday’s. 

Her mother got her first break up, over text, on a Thursday. Her mother dropped chocolate ice cream on her patent white Valentino shoes before arriving to a consultation with a client on a Thursday (the client opted out). Her mother finalized her divorce on a Thursday. Her mother missed MJ’s Acadec competition because it was on a Thursday.

MJ texts back, “Um, yea, sure,” to Peter at 12:37 AM on a Thursday.

It was then fated to be a bad date.

And, it was. 

They plan to go out on a Saturday. He texts MJ that he might be late to the movies and doesn’t respond to her messages afterwards for an hour. She misses the movie and thinks that maybe they can watch the next showing. She sits on a bench outside for what seems like an eternity. 

When she finally decides to leave, it stings. She may or may not have shed an angry tear. 

This reaffirmed it for her. She gets dressed up, not really but she looks different than her usual self, and puts in effort to get stood up. And, _really_ stood up at that. With no explanation or message back. She felt like a joke.

If she really thought about it, she knew something was wrong. Peter isn’t like this. He’s honest and caring and _he_ asked her out. She knew the way he looked at her at the lunch table but thought maybe some other girl was behind her. It didn’t make sense. Her Peter wasn’t the type to be this cruel. 

But, she also thought her father wasn’t the type to be cruel. 

Maybe all men were cruel.

It started raining, hard, and for a moment it seemed as though the world wanted MJ to cry harder, and she does. She’s shivering, mad, has snot running down her face, and has angry hot tears welling up in her eyes. It was distorting her vision and one of her contacts fell. Perfect.

That’s why she thought she was just seeing things when the red stop sign seemed to be hurling her way. Or, how it was probably her mind hallucinating because it looked like some blue and red object was coming her way.

One moment she’s squinting through her tears and the next she’s in the air and above the cars and commotion. She screams. Then she passes out.

  


She wakes up and she sees him. She screams again till he covers her mouth and makes a rushed shushing motion. 

“MJ. MJ. Calm down.” The voice was squeaky yet boyish. Familiar, yet she couldn’t put her finger on it. It sounded like the voice was being slightly distorted. 

Another male she had to deal with.

She takes the hand off of her mouth and stares into the person’s weird eyes from the mask.

“Tell _yourself_ to calm down. Jeez.”

She sees the mask give off a smile. “Yes, ma’am.”

She scowls. “So, you must be Bug-Boy.”

“Spider-Man, actually.”

“Hm. Okay. Can you tell me why I’m sitting down at the top of my building with you then? Aren’t you supposed to be off saving and etcetera?”.

“Well, I saw you walking through the streets at this time of night alone and you looked really sad.”

Before MJ could say anything on how she didn’t need his pity, he also added, “And, a broken stop sign was hurdling your way and you were just standing there.”

Oh.

“Oh. Thank you then.” She lifts up a hand and he helps her up. 

“Why, uh, why were you so upset?”.

She squints at him. He’s about a few inches away but she could barely make out who he was. One contact really was no help. 

“I got stood up.” 

He makes an expression that she can’t quite name. 

“I bet he didn’t mean to. Is he curly haired, sweater wearing, and super handsome?”.

_Okay, weird._

“Maybe." She can see a faint smirk on the guy's face appear just as quickly as it disappeared. "Why?”.

“I saw him running to the direction of the movie theaters. Maybe he was just running late. Maybe he has a good excuse. I wouldn’t rule him out just because of this. I thought he looked pretty decent.”

MJ rolls her eyes. “If you want to date him, go ahead.” Spider-Boy or Bug-Man or whatever he was called just makes more nervous laughter and says “No” a couple times.

“If you think he’s such a good guy, here, I’ll call him right now and let’s see.”

“Well,” his voice squeaks, “I got to go so-.”

“Nope. No, no, no. You stay here and witness.”

She dials him and, shocker, it rings till it goes to voicemail. She expected it, but it doesn’t stop it from stinging her pride.

She looks at him and it seems like he’s got an itch because he’s fidgety.

“See,” she says pointedly to him.

“You know what, maybe he’s just sleeping. It is pretty late.”

“No, he wouldn’t be. I’ve texted him and he’s responded at 2 AM before. He’s definitely still awake now.” She takes a deep breath before she starts feeling herself tear up. She had to stop crying, she’s cried enough today over one boy to last her all the ensuing humiliation of tomorrow. 

“Look, it’s fine. Just go. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m used to this. I should’ve known. Men suck,” then when she remembers what gender the person she’s talking to is, she adds, “no offense.”

The guy winces, but laughs again. “None taken.”

He fidgets around a bit more and she can overhear him whisper something to himself. Before she can ask what's wrong, he says, “Look, just call him again.” When MJ starts to roll her eyes and begin to object, he softly adds, “Please?”.

That makes her actually look at him. As in, full on squinting and head turned to the side type of look. She decides to call. Not because he asked, but because she wants to.

“Okay.”

She dials him again. It rings. Once. Twice. Thri-.

He answers. “Hey, MJ.”

However, the voice was too close to be just over the phone. She looks up and sees Peter Parker in the Spider-Man attire with the mask off. 

“Hey yourself, dweeb.”

  


After copious amounts of sorrys and Spider-Man explanations, things seemed sorted out.

“So, why were you late?”

He sighs and grabs her hand from where it was resting on the floor. They were both sitting at her fire escape with their backs to the wall of her room.

She allows it because his suit looked clean and was giving her warmth.

“I thought I could help this elderly lady cross the road and make it in time. Instead, she made me walk her home and tried to set me up with her granddaughter.”

“Oh, really?” she says as she laughs.

“Uh, huh. And, guess who the granddaughter is?”.

“Um. I don’t know.”

“Guess.” She would typically say that she doesn't have time for games and make him spill the beans instantly, but it was in the way he looked so soft and carefree at that moment that she seemed to be willing to do anything, games and all.

“Okay. Betty, maybe?”.

He laughs and says no.

“Okay, who then?”.

“You.” He looked so serious and happy that she didn’t believe him. She couldn’t. It didn’t make sense.

She instantly gives a sarcastic laugh and rolls her eyes. “Sure, Parker, sure.”

“Hey! I’m being honest. The lady, her name starts with a M. Maggie? Martha? Marleen?”

“Macy,” she says questioningly.

He grins and says, “That’s the one!”.

"Anyway, she said her dear sweet grandchild, Michelle,” to which she responds by lightly hitting him and saying “Shut up, dumbass.”

“She said she thought you might need someone. That you are your mom’s child, independent and strong, but that didn’t mean you didn’t need a companion. She said I was just the type to do that.”

She’s amazed. All luck and pure fate crap making sense in her head.

“She even showed me a picture of you mean mugging it on her front porch.” He laughs, yet again, and she’s mortified yet proud. It was one of her best toddler photos.

“What did you say back?”.

“I couldn’t just say, ‘Oh, yeah. That Michelle girl? Yeah, I’m going out on a date with her tonight.’”

“Oh, shut up.” 

He laughs again but he becomes somber. “I told her I’d keep my eye out for her.”

“If she asks, I’ll tell her you did.”

  


People start noticing the week before summer break, when they’ve been “talking” for at least a month. Ned notices first. He notices two days after the date, which he was uninformed about, when he spies them holding hands underneath the lunch table when he left to use the restroom.

He almost passed out. Almost.

With enough sweet talk and bribery, he gets gently coaxed into being okay with possibly third-wheeling. Soon enough, he becomes the biggest fan of #Spideychelle, or just #PeterMJ in public. Peter and MJ almost decide to beat Ned up for the horrid mash-up names but decide to let Ned run wild and rampant in the shipping world.

The Acadec team learns second. It wasn’t hard when the team came back from a team dinner and walked in on a Friday night practice to the two tongue wrestling each other. This time, Flash almost cried for reasons still unknown.

MJ’s grandmother learned shortly afterwards. MJ took Peter and Ned with her to visit the wonderful Grammy Macy. She thought Michelle was dating Ned and Peter was oh-so happy to tell Grammy who MJ was actually dating. Ned wouldn’t stop gloating on the whole ordeal and Peter couldn’t get why Grammy didn’t think it was Peter and MJ dating when _he_ was the one with his arm around her waist.

Aunt May learns next. She catches Peter’s arm over MJ’s shoulder as the two were watching a movie and she overheard MJ repetitively saying for Peter to stop. Of course, May charges over to see exactly what her nephew was doing, especially since she couldn’t see what his other hand was doing, but, from her view from the side, she could see that he was ticking MJ and that they both seemed comfortable with each other. 

She stops watching and leaves once she hears MJ say, “Okay. Study break over. Time to study again, nerd,” and Peter say under his breath, “The things I do for you.” MJ raises a brow to which Peter responds by saying, “Nothing, babe.” MJ scowls and May gasps. 

It was an uncomfortable dinner afterwards with a bunch of Peter repeatedly saying, “May. It was a _joke_. She knows I hate using the word babe and I use it to annoy her.” Either way, May grounds him for a week and leaves a pouty Peter and satisfied MJ in the end.

The two last people to find out were MJ’s parents; her mom and then her dad.

Her mom finds out after asking MJ if she wanted to be set up with a coworker’s son, to which MJ responds with a not sarcastic and genuinely happy, “No thanks,” before shoving the last bit of her cordon bleu in her mouth. Her mother later overhears MJ reassuring some boy named Peter, maybe, that there was nothing to worry about and that her mother would adore him. 

She meets him when she arrives for the Sophomore Awards at Midtown and sees him whispering into her daughter’s ear before she gets up to present awards to all the Acadec affiliates. He comes up to her to introduce himself after MJ hugs her mom goodbye and leaves for the restroom, to which MJ’s mom beats him to the punch and says, “I know who you are. You seem to make my daughter happy. Keep it that way, okay?”. Peter nods his head and she nods too. “I’ll make MJ set up a dinner with the three of us. Is that okay, Mr. Parker?”. Peter nods immediately and MJ's mom gives him a smile.

MJ was wrong that she thought her mother would adore Peter, she loved him.

The last one to meet was the toughest of all: MJ’s dad. Despite MJ not exactly _loving_ her father’s actions, she still loved him. His opinion on Peter definitely wasn’t as important as her mother’s, but deep down she still wanted to know his opinion.

He finds out when she visits his apartment upstate and she wouldn’t stop texting someone. She paid attention to what he was saying, but she was half there and was too busy smiling down at her phone. When she went to get a book from the car, he turned over her phone and saw that there were messages from someone named “<3SpiDEy BoY<3”. He almost passed out then and there. When he hears her foot steps appear, he quickly turns over her phone and goes back on his phone to finish an email.

Later that night, once he knows she’s done FaceTiming whatever hooligan she was FaceTiming, he knocks at her door and she lets him in. “Um, hey, MJ.” 

She’s at her desk with a book wide open. “Hi.”

“I just-.” He scratches the back of his neck. “I know I’m not exactly the guy with the _best_ record with dating,” to which she primly nods and he winces. “But, your mom was telling me how you’re seeing someone. A certain Percy, I believe?”.

“Peter, dad, Peter.” She exhales then says, “I know what I’m doing, I promise. He treats me right and I wouldn’t even think of being with him if he didn’t.”

He knows that. “I know you’re smart. Just- just be careful, you know? And, I know I’m not your primary living adult or someone you would jump to receive advice from, but if you ever need advice or something, I’m here.”

She turns quiet and it was almost so that you could hear her heart thumping. “I just don’t want someone to hurt you and for you to go through-.”

He didn’t have to continue for her to get the message. He leaves after there’s a silent five minutes between them.

  


He meets Peter on a Wednesday, purposely planned by MJ. She needed all the good luck in the world to get this to go well.

Peter arrives at the dinner late, as usual, to which her father clearly disapproves but MJ turns a blind eye at. 

He sizes up Peter when he eats almost two bread baskets on his own, but Peter blames it on his gym routine, which garners an eye roll from MJ, and metabolism. He also judges Peter when he orders the New York strip and gets water, while MJ gets lemonade and fettuccine alfredo. He’s surprised when he sees MJ willingly give Peter some of her pasta and when Peter gives half of his steak. 

Thirty minutes and twenty-five questions into the interrogation, MJ’s father asks, “What are your intentions?”.

While patting MJ on the back as she chokes after hearing her father ask that, he says without missing a beat, “I just want to make MJ happy, uh, sir.”

MJ rolls her eyes and calls him corny. Her father is happy that Peter had the decency to blush in response. 

“What? It’s true. What did you want me to say, MJ? That my only intention is to raid your private library? To finally get my hand on your copy of _Wuthering Heights_?”.

MJ rolls her eyes and lightly shoves him. “I don’t know, but I do know that was seriously _so_ corny. I can’t wait to tell Ned.”

“Ned? Who is this Ned?” her father asks as he sips his wine.

“No one, dad. Don’t get your hopes up like-.”

“Like Grammy Macy did,” finished Peter and they both started laughing.

“ _You_ met Grammy Macy?”

“I took him and Ned one time. Although, Grammy thought I was dating Ned. It's all good though, she really likes Peter.”

“Huh. Really?”.

“Mhm. Right, Peter?”.

“Yup. Grammy loves me. Maybe more than you,” he says directly to MJ.

“Haha. Very funny. Tell me that when she calls you her favorite granddaughter.”

“You’re her _only_ granddaughter, MJ.”

He sees them laugh and mutually agree to get the raspberry cheesecake when he realized something. His daughter just might be in love. He looks at Peter and gets a headache. The guy is obviously whipped and if he wasn't on a date with his daughter, he would straighten him up and tell him to get it together. He sees how in sync they are, when Peter dumps his asparagus on MJ's plate and MJ give her garlic bread to him, and realizes that she just might be okay.

  


They enter a few rough patches throughout junior year, but their roughest patch is when the anniversary of MJ’s parents’ divorce came around. 

She goes MIA. Missing. 

She doesn’t respond to her parents’ calls, Ned’s messages, or anyone on the Acadec team. Peter was too busy going to random book stores and tea shops to keep on calling. 

He exits a Japanese garden gift shop when he gets her message. 

“Meet me @ where we began.”

So, he goes to her building and meets her at the top of the building. He hears her before he sees her. Little sniffles and inhales and exhales. For someone he called a “giraffe”, she looked impossibly small when he saw her.

“MJ.” 

And she runs. 

For someone without powers, man, could she hide. 

He doesn’t immediately follow because he’s in shock, but he quickly follows till she gets in a cab.

That’s when all bets are off and he really doesn’t know where she’d go. He’s lucky Grammy likes him a lot that she calls him saying that MJ called her saying she’ll be coming over so Grammy expects the usual tea from the bodega on the corner that he always brings whenever he visits her.

When he finally gets there, two teas in hand, he sits outside at the steps. He can over hear the two.

“I- I’m just scared. And, I know it doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t. He treats me right and we’re doing so good, you know?”.

“Yes, child, I do. So what’s wrong then?”.

“Well, mom and dad were doing so good too,” she sniffles and blows her nose, “Everything good ends, right? When does it stop being good? I’m scared for that part.”

It’s silent for a moment.

“Do you love him, Michelle?”.

A beat later he hears a quiet but sure, “Yes.”

“And, do you think he loves you?”.

Two beats go by before she says, “Yes.” 

And, he does. He really thinks he does, at least. Whatever he felt, it was somewhere there in the love category. 

They’ve never said it out loud to each other at all.

“Well there’s your answer. If you love each other, that’s all you need to stay in the good. Everyone who stopped being in the good stopped being in love.”

“Really?”.

“I promise. Do you not believe me? I’m the smartest lady you’ll ever know, Michelle, remember that.”

“Damn right,” MJ says while lightly laughing through her tears.

“And, you have to want for the relationship to work. Honey, your relationship won’t work if you keep on crying your way to me,” to which MJ replies with an insolent “Hey!”, “You need to believe that your relationships aren’t the same as your parents. I promise they won’t be as long as you don’t believe they are.”

“Okay.” It’s silent as he can hear them hug each other. “Jeez, Grammy, when did you get so wise.”

“Oh, hush up, child. You would’ve noticed if you stopped flirting with that Peter boy whenever you’re here.” Peter just knows Grammy is rolling her eyes at MJ and how appalled MJ must be. 

“I don't-.” She becomes silent for a moment. “Okay, maybe _sometimes_.”

“It’s okay. You guys are so sweet. Just talk to him, Michelle. He’ll understand. If he doesn’t, send him to me and I’ll beat him up.”

Peter decides to knock and open the door at that moment. “It’s okay, I’ll beat myself up if that happened.”

The two ladies say, “Peter!” and Grammy beats MJ in hugging Peter. 

“If she doesn’t say ‘I love you’ to you first, I will.” MJ and Peter blink at each other. She takes one of the teas he had on hand and takes a sip and finishes with a satisfied sigh. “Thanks, sweetie. You get me so well.” She pats Peter’s cheek and MJ rolls her eyes. 

“Hands off, Grammy. He might actually run off with you.” She looks at him and he realizes she’s never looked as nervous as she did a that moment. As if he'd actually run away with her grandmother.

He walks over to her and intertwines their hands. “Not possible.”

And, just like that, her heart is in a puddle. Only Peter Parker seemed capable of doing that.

In all metaphorical and real ways, she decided at that moment to vanquish her No-Man rule. She couldn’t follow the basic guidelines of it anymore, anyway. It had to be deleted and relinquished from her heart.

Plus, she needed more room in her heart. A certain dweeb wanted the space.

**Author's Note:**

> I owe y’all an explanation, so stay with me (this is kind of long).
> 
> I’ve been through the motions. First, I’ve been busy and, yeah, I know it’s overused, but I’m being honest (promise). Second, I’ve had writer’s block. As in, no ounce of creativity or imagination or anything. I’m as creative as a wood board right now. I’d like to credit finishing Jane the Virgin, Riverdale, and The Good Place with me being able to finish this fic in the wee hours of the morning in a combined effort of twelve hours.
> 
> Because of recent events that I will explain later, I don’t know when I’ll be updating any of my stories. I hope to do an update a week of something. When I’m preoccupied, I feel better. Perhaps it’s a coping method.
> 
> Almost two weeks ago, a close friend of mine passed away. She was someone I idolized and looked up to and, without a doubt, I’ve been feeling a bit lost without her there just in case I need advice. She reminds me of MJ here because she always told me to never take the bullshit of boys and to always stay determined. I could go on and on about her, but I'd rather keep most of it to myself. I can actually type all of this without crying which I wouldn’t have been able to do a few days ago so go me. I’m not trying to get yalls pity comments so you don’t need to do that, but I just want to say that it’s been hard. The biggest thing I’ve learned from this is that I want ya’ll to love each other and spend as much time with the people you love. That’s all. 
> 
> All my love. Xoxo.


End file.
